Sustainability Shines at Big Shine’s SAAZ 2020 Global Leaders Conference

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Big Shine’s “SAAZ 2020 Global Leaders Conference | A Perfect View into Sustainability” put Sustainability on center stage on January 30th at the Westin Jersey City Newport hotel. The inspiration for SAAZ – Sustainability Awards #ApproachingZero – began with Big Shine Energy’s #ApproachingZero campaign, launched in 2015.

Big Shine CEO welcomed the distinguished guests who gathered for SAAZ 2020. In his keynote address, he explained, “As a global corporation we knew we had to take responsibility and head in a sustainable direction. We decided to launch the [Approaching Zero] campaign to inspire other corporations . . . towards a carbon neutral future. Being sustainable is not simply a trend or an annual report aggregated from data. It is the way to secure the future of generations to come. Sustainability also means a healthy planet suitable enough to comfortably raise our families.”

Big Shine Energy’s Turnkey Solution

Big Shine Energy Executive Director Eduard Rodriguez explained our unique “turnkey” business model. He explained how it helps various types of businesses and institutions quickly and confidently implement sustainable solutions.

Big Shine CTO Kruesi explained why education was always at the forefront of Big Shine’s marketing efforts. “The more understanding you have of the technology that you are putting into your facilities, the more in control you are of your savings, energy-usage, the happiness and productivity of your employees, and the wellbeing of our environment. Having complete knowledge is powerful and leads to real Sustainability success.”

Keynote Speaker: Cox Enterprises

Cox Enterprises explained how Cox had established aggressive, enterprise-wide goals to achieve carbon, waste and water neutrality. Citing examples of how the CEO’s Challenge had inspired and engaged Cox employees at all levels to develop creative sustainability solutions. It encouraged employee volunteerism to advance sustainability for their communities

Guest Speakers: Lithia Motors and ICF

Lithia Motors is one of America’s largest auto dealer networks, with 180 locations. The Sustainability Project Manager for Lithia shared the actions that Lithia had taken in their comprehensive approach. These included Big Shine LED lighting, new HVAC technologies, and the installation of EV charging stations. Lithia has shown that they are not only one of the largest automotive dealer enterprises, they are also a leader in sustainability commitment and innovation.

One of the Energy Engineer’s with ICF, rounded out the panel of keynote speakers by explaining how we, as enterprise energy consumers, can take initiative and can benefit from a wide selection of sustainability technologies. Speaking from the utility perspective, encouraging the participants to take advantage of the many financial incentive programs that are available today. He put these in perspective by providing an overview of the timetable and requirements to meet the new Climate Action Law in New York City.

SAAZ Awardees

One of the goals of SAAZ is to provide recognition for those who have embraced sustainability and made significant accomplishments over the past year. This recognition comes from peers, and awardees report that receiving a SAAZ Award excited the attention of top management and led to the reaction, “Wow, this is great! What is our next step?” Recipient organizations also announced their SAAZ award to shareholders, employees, customers and their communities. All of this spreads the awareness that sustainability is achievable in every organization, both large and small, and that the individual technologies are manageable and understandable. SAAZ truly brought sustainability leaders together to unite, share experiences, collaborate and plan together for a brighter future.

The list of SAAZ awardees is both distinguished and diverse: Starbucks Coffee, Lithia Motors, SYSCO Corporation, JLL Property Management, Holman Automotive, Covanta, New York Public Library, Automann USA, the Federal General Services Administration (GSA), William Patterson University, College of St. Rose, and Iona College.

Educational Sessions

Just as the Digital Age completely changed our way of thinking, our time marks the dawn of the “Sustainability Age”. This, too, will completely change our thinking. SAAZ provided a wonderful forum for networking and informal sharing. There were also formal Education Sessions that presented the latest in sustainability in four powerful topic areas:

  • “Energy-Efficiency Projects & Remaining Cash Flow Positive” | Ascentium Capital
  • “Sustainability in the Automotive Industry” | Lithia Motors; Big Shine Energy
  • “Sustainable Cities and the Law” | U.S. Green Building Council; Big Shine Energy
  • “LED lighting and the Workplace” | Lighting Research Center at RPI; Big Shine Energy

Guests took advantage not only of formal educational workshops, but also of hands-on demonstrations. They explored our photometric analysis software, experienced virtual reality simulations, observed solar panels and LED lighting fixtures. They even witnessed a vivid demonstration of Big Shine’s new modular LED display.

SAAZ 2020 was a day to remember. Every participant brought something of value, and also came away with something of value. Our challenge and our opportunity are clear.

Now is the time to ignite our organizations and communities to reach our sustainability goals. As our CEO has said, “Being sustainable is the way to secure the future of the generations.”

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